Talk:You Are Not Alone/@comment-3575890-20140522085321
Lol so I was just looking in my drafts and I found this essay I wrote for class, which honestly, I don't actually personally subscribe to the thesis whatsoever and basically pulled the whole thing out of my ass. XD I honestly got a good laugh rereading it because of course I am all for good health, but I myself have the worst eating habits ever and think kids should be at liberty to choose for themselves so this was such a load of bullshit I wrote, I can't even: I’m for the junk food ban because we are faced with increasing rates of obesity and diabetes among our youth. In the past 30 years, obesity rates have more than doubled and in some age groups even tripled. A study has found that two thirds of obese children are at risk of developing heart disease by age 12. This cycle is not going to end unless we take action and the best way to stop obesity on children is to teach them how to control their weight gain. These children around us will one day grow to run our society; they are literally our future and it is key that they are healthy to be able to reach their full potential. Children are too young to understand what is best for them. Their minds are not yet developed in where they are capable of making informed decisions and understanding the full extent of consequences; every child needs some boundaries and limits to help them through early-stage development. For instance, they resent having to come to school because they don’t yet fully grasp the importance of education, but we still encourage them, if not push them, to their best efforts in that regard. We don’t give children free reign to make choices that could affect their future – doesn’t their health just as well factor into that? Moderating what they eat, for the betterment of their physical and mental well being is no different. Bottom line is they are our responsibility. It is up to us to nurture and guide them to success. It is evidenced that health and education are interconnected. Healthier eating habits have been associated with improved performance on standardized tests and grade point averages. Contrarily, the consumption of less healthy foods has been associated with poor achievement in core language and math courses. When students are not healthy, they may lack important nutrients needed to support optimal cognitive functioning. Iron deficiency, severe enough to cause anemia, has been associated with poorer cognition, shortened attention span, fatigue and significantly lower scores on standardized tests. Students who are healthy are more likely to be successful in school. Education should be based around the students’ best interests and developing their potential. Good nutrition contributes to healthy growth and development, strong school performance and positive behavior among youth. Therefore, for the betterment of the health of our children and their academic performance, it is essential that we introduce healthier foods into school cafeterias. We don’t even have to get rid of the vending machines themselves; just the contents within it. This loss could be compensated for by loading them with healthier alternatives. Instead of soda – juice. Chocolate bars – granola bars. Even if these foods won’t be the childrens’ first choice, they are in school for eight hours. That is a long time to go without a drink or food and if the aforementioned are the only foods available to them in that space in time, they will surely settle for what they can get. The more unattainable junk food is, the less inclined parents are to keep buying their children abundant amounts of junk food, and the children themselves, to spend their allowance money on it. Taxing junk food is an effective approach to getting kids to eat healthier, and for parents to stop feeling pressured to buy unhealthy items on shopping trips. Many of us are all too familiar with the scene of a child throwing a tantrum for sweets, and the parent trying to quiet their child. Taking high-calorie foods off of display will reduce kids’ exposure to its influence and curb parents’ frustration. If children are consuming junk food on a regular basis, the least we can do is monitor their health and keep the parents informed of if they are at risk for health problems so they can recognize the importance of preventive action. Schools themselves, aware of the health statuses of their students, may become more motivated to serve healthier foods and increase students’ physical activity. Preventive care is more cost-effective than curative care anyhow and puts people in control of their health. It is better to prevent disease than to treat it. A study by the National Foster Parent Association confirmed that children respond well to encouragement. In fact, they are less set in their ways than adults and tend to be more willing and enthusiastic about learning new things. With proper guidance, they are capable of conforming and adapting to new situations. The younger the child, the more impressionable the brain and the easier it is to instill values. As well, children take everything at face value and are prone to mimic what they see. They respond to visual cues more so than they do verbal ones, so it goes without saying that setting a positive example is likely to have effective results. I think marketing and social structures play an influential role in kids’ choice of food. Junk food companies target the young demographic because they know they are most vulnerable to subliminal influence and companies like Coca Cola use that to their advantage. How many times have you had a sudden urge to go out and buy something after seeing an advertisement for it? The positive feelings we feel when watching these ads generate positive associations with the product itself. Advertisers understand the psychology of this conditioning and incorporate that understanding into their ads. To better protect children from the harmful effects of food marketing, it is important to reduce their exposure to it. Less marketing, will make it easier for parents to take control of their children’s weight. The extra money goes towards healthier lifestyles that are known to improve mood stabilization and academic performance. Teaching the importance of healthy choices to our youth and instilling those values is a lesson that they can take with them into adulthood and pass on to future generations. In the grand scheme of things, healthier kids means less obesity and thus lower health costs. In terms of what is at greater stake, there is a much bigger picture than just school funding. Bigger investments in health will save money in the end. Though yes, the loss of profits will be a great disservice to the students, they will suffer either way since the junk sold in vending machines is putting their health at risk. U.S. researchers examined the impact that vending machine foods had on the food choices of 5,930 students at 152 schools. The vending machines in 83% of the schools sold foods with minimal nutritional value, including chips, sodas and sweets. If various forms of junk food is all kids have to choose from, what do you think they will pick? Kids who eat junk food regularly are more susceptible to medical issues like diabetes and artery disease. It’s unfortunate that schools must choose between the health of their students and the health of their budgets, but the children must always come first.